Dispensing containers



Ap i 1967 c. B. FEATHERSTONE ETAL 3,312,373

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United States Patent 3,312,378 DISPENSING CONTAINERS Charles B. Featherstone, Sale, and Brian F. Hawtin, Radlett, England, assignors to Richmond Aerosols Limited, Withington, England Filed June 8, 1965, Ser. No. 462,309 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 10, 1964,

Claims. (Cl. 222-389) The invention relates to containers for dispensing substances in the form of liquids, creams or pastes by means of a propellant consisting usually of a compressed gas. Usually a gas is chosen which is inert with respect to the substance to be dispensed.

In our co-pending Patent No. 3,207,385, dated September 21, 1965, we have described a device for dispensing a material by means of a propellant, comprising an outer container adapted to contain the propellant, a springclosed valve on and extending outwardly from one end of the container, a receptacle for the material to be dispensed, arranged co-axially within said container and having one of its ends sealing on to the said outlet valve, the receptacle communicating with the interior of the outer container at its other end, and a freely movable piston in said receptacle, exposed at one side to the pressure in the outer container and adapted when said valve is opened to displace the material to be dispensed through the open valve.

It has been observed that in certain constructions the propellant fluid tends to leak into the container holding the substance to be dispensed, and if these two substances are incompatible this may lead to damage or even danger.

If, as in our co-pending patent application Ser. No. 462,- 310 the upper edge of the inner container is flanged over the rim of the outer container, thus to overcome this defect, an area of valve cap is thereby exposed to the dispensable substance in the inner container and since the caps are invariably of metal, prolonged contact therewith sometimes proves deleterious to the contents of the inner receptacle.

It is the primary object of the present invention to eliminate the contact between the substance to be dispensed and the metal cap. It is a further object of the invention to remove the necessity for having a separate seal between the valve cap and the rim of the container.

Thus according to the present invention, a dispenser comprising inner and outer containers with an annular space between them to contain the propellant fluid is characterised in that the inner container has an end wall thereto, said end wall being provided with an aperture and with an integrally formed valve housing surrounding said aperture in which housing, at least part of a valve is accommodated, said valve housing being provided on its outer upper edge with a lip, over which a cap may be secured and on its lower inside edge with an inwardly projecting shoulder against which the valve spring reacts, there being a piston Within the inner container as a thrust member for the material to be expelled with access between the said annular space and the underside of said piston and a valve means mounted in the housing therefor and arranged to control the discharge of the said material from the inner container When desired.

According to a further feature of the invention, the peripheral wall of the inner container is extended to flange outwardly over and to seal over the wall of the outer container as described in our co-pending application Ser. No. 462,310.

The valve parts include an apertured disc adapted to lie upon the top of the valve housing imprisoned between the valve cap and the housing, a valve stem which 3,312,378 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 "ice is slidably mounted in said aperture providing a path through which the substance may be expelled into the atmosphere and a spring to urge the slidable part into the closed position. This assembly is loaded into the housing prepared in the end wall of the receptacle and the valve cap placed over the container and crimped into position around the beaded rim of the container and the said lip of the valve housing.

Preferably the said piston is provided with a circular recess in the top thereof, spaced slightly from the upper edge and extending about half the depth of the piston thereby forming a central portion within the recess and a resilient upper peripheral wall portion thin enough to be urged against the receptacle wall by the pressure of the substance to be dispensed.

The upper and lower edges of the piston are beaded and the peripheral Wall between them is substantially convex.

The advantages of incorporating the valve housing in the said wall of the receptacle is that the contents do not contact the metal valve cap and leakage between the respective chambers can only occur at the piston end and this is negligible. Furthermore the rubber sealing gasket normally fitted to the valve cap may be dispensed with in favour of the flange part of the receptacle.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section taken through a first embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a corresponding view of the upper part only of an alternative embodiment.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, the open end of an outer container 1 is reduced in diameter and turned over to form a beaded edge 2. An inner container 3 comprises a polythene cylinder open at the bottom end and provided with slots 4 on its lower edge, the cylinder being closed at the top by an end wall 5. An aperture 6 is provided in the end wall 5 and an integral, substantially cylindrical, valve housing 7 surrounds the aperture 6 thus to form an extension of the inner container 3. The valve housing 7 is provided on its upper outer edge with a thickened portion 8 and on its lower, inner edge with an inwardlyprojecting shoulder 9.

A valve 10 comprising an apertured disc 11, a valve stem 12 slidable in the disc 11 providing a pathway for the contents of the container 3 to the atmosphere and a spring 13 beneath the valve stem 12 is inserted into the valve housing 7 so that the said disc 11 overlies the lip of the valve housing 8 and the spring 13 rests under slight compression on the inwardly-projecting shoulder 9.

A preformed valve cap 14 is fitted over the valve housing and headed rim of the container. A rubber sealing ring 15 is inserted between the cap and the beaded rim.

A piston 16 is slidably mounted in the receptacle 3,

such piston comprising a dome-shaped part 16a extending transversely across the inner container, and upper and lower beaded edges 16b and 160, the peripheral wall 16d between the edges 16b and being outwardly convex. The upper beaded edge 16b lies in spaced apart disposition relative to the central part 16a of the piston, the material to be propelled filling the space between the edge 16b and part 16a and serving, upon upward movement of the piston, to urge the edge 16b against the wall of the container.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, the container and valve housing are of the same construction as in FIGURE 1, but the peripheral wall of the said container 3 is extended to form a flange 23 which is turned over at the edge to overlie the rim of the container.

In this construction, the valve cap 14 contacts thethe turned-over portion of the flange acts as a gasket 0r sealing ring.

What we claim is:

1. A dispenser comprising inner and outer tubular containers defining between them an annular space for propellant fluid, an end Wall on said inner container, means in said-end wall defining an aperture therein, a boss integral with said end wall and surrounding said aperture, said boss being of smaller overall diameter than said inner container and forming a valve housing, a valve at least partially accommodated in said housing, a lip on the upper edge of said valve housing, a cap secured over said lip and forming a closure for said annular space, an inwardly projecting shoulder on the lower inside edge of the valve housing, a valve spring reacting against said shoulder, a piston within the inner container as a thrust member for the material to be expelled, means defining access between the said annular space and the underside of said piston, and a valve member mounted in the housing for controlling the discharge of the said material from the inner container when desired.

2. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1, including an extension on said cap which extends to seal over the wall of the outer container.

3. A dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the valve housing is of cylindrical tubular form.

4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve housing is disposed centrally of the end wall.

5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cap is adapted to hold the valve member in position relative to the valve housing.

6. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the said cap is crimped in position.

7. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the piston has means defining a circular recess in the top thereof, spaced slightly from the peripheral wall of the piston and extending about half the depth of the piston thereby forming a central portion within the recess and a resilient upper peripheral wall portion thin enough to be urged against the wall of the inner container by the pressure of the substance to be dispensed.

8. A dispenser as claimed in claim 6 including a lower, beaded edge on the piston.

9. A dispenser as claimed in claim 7 including a beaded edge on the upper wall portion of the piston.

10. A dispenser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the surface of the piston is outwardly convex between the upper and lower beaded edges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1962 Meshberg 222-394 X 10/1965 Blanchard 222-389 X 

1. A DISPENSER COMPRISING INNER AND OUTER TUBULAR CONTAINERS DEFINING BETWEEN THEM AN ANNULAR SPACE FOR PROPELLANT FLUID, AN END WALL ON SAID INNER CONTAINER, MEANS IN SAID END WALL DEFINING AN APERTURE THEREIN, A BOSS INTEGRAL WITH SAID END WALL AND SURROUNDING SAID APERTURE, SAID BOSS BEING OF SMALLER OVERALL DIAMETER THAN SAID INNER CONTAINER AND FORMING A VALVE HOUSING, A VALVE AT LEAST PARTIALLY ACCOMMODATED IN SAID HOUSING, A LIP ON THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID VALVE HOUSING, A CAP SECURED OVER SAID LIP AND FORMING A CLOSURE FOR SAID ANNULAR SPACE, AN INWARDLY PROJECTING SHOULDER ON THE LOWER INSIDE EDGE OF THE VALVE HOUSING, A VALVE SPRING REACTING AGAINST SAID SHOULDER, A PISTON WITHIN THE INNER CONTAINER AS A THRUST MEMBER FOR THE MATERIAL TO BE EXPELLED, MEANS DEFINING ACCESS BETWEEN THE SAID ANNULAR SPACE AND THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID PISTON, AND A VALVE MEMBER MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING FOR CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE OF THE SAID MATERIAL FROM THE INNER CONTAINER WHEN DESIRED. 